GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES MORE THAN 16,000 NEW YORKERS HAVE USEED NEW ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION WEBSITE

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week that more than 16,000 New Yorkers have used the Department of Motor Vehicle’s (DMV) new online voter registration service.

The initiative, announced August 16, streamlines DMV services by allowing New Yorkers to register to vote, or update their address or party enrollment, through a secure online site.

Now, when processing any license transaction at the DMV, customers may complete a voter registration application using the payment terminal devices that are used to swipe debit or credit cards. This process will expand to every DMV office in the state next week.

“There is no doubt that this new initiative is helping New Yorkers become active participants in their government,” said Governor Cuomo.

New York is ranked 47th in the nation in voter registration, with less than 64% of eligible residents registered to vote.

The new system replaced the vast majority of paper forms and is designed to help centralize the digital transmission of voter registration applications, as well as minimize errors in the system.

The measure is expected to save New York State more than $270,000 a year and more than $350,000 a year for the county Boards of Election (BOE).

In 2013, the MyDMV service will electronically transmit all voter information to the county Boards of Elections, significantly reducing entry times for those BOEs.

The governor’s office is currently working with other “motor voter” agencies to develop on-line registration options where possible, particularly for non-drivers.

The Website can be found at https://my.dmv.ny.gov/crm/ and can be used by any New Yorker with a driver’s license or non-driver ID.